5 contain his most eloquent protest at the condition of the poor” (John Mortimer). A Christmas Carol “was an extraordinary achievement—the one great Christmas myth of modern literature.” The publication history of A Christmas Carol is bibliographically complex. “Dickens decided to publish the book himself… He wanted the Carol to be a beautiful gift book and took pride in its development. He stipulated the following requirements: a fancy binding, blind-stamped, with gilding on the spine and front cover; all edges gilded; four full-page handcolored etchings; half title and title pages printed in colors of bright red and green; and hand-colored green endpapers to match the green title page… However, in examining printed copies prior to publication, Dickens was disappointed with the appearance of the green titles, which turned drab, and the hand-colored green endpapers, which dusted off and smudged, and had the title page changed to red and blue, the half title to blue, the date on the title page changed from 1844 to 1843, and the endpapers changed to yellow, which did not require hand work. Dickens’ changes were completed by December 17… Since Dickens’ instructions to discontinue the unsatisfactory titles and endpapers were received at the press before publication, at a time when there were on hand different quantities of endpapers, title pages, and sheets of printed text already produced, many copies are found with a mixture of features” (Smith, 21-22). A Christmas Carol is from the first issue, with all first issue points; the binding matches Todd’s first impression, first issue. (see Smith II:4). Dickens followed A Christmas Carol’s tremendous success with four more Christmas books. First edition of The Chimes, with the first state of the engraved title page; first edition of The Cricket on the Hearth, with first state of advertising leaf at rear; first edition of The Battle of Life, with vignette title page in the fourth state; first edition of The Haunted Man and TheGhost’s Bargain. All advertisements present, as issued. Bookplate in The Chimes; a few volumes with small bookseller labels. Christmas Carol beautiful and unrestored with only a few tiny marks to cloth, slightest fraying at spine end corners, gilt bright; other volumes about-fine to fine. A lovely set of Dickens’ Christmas books, including a particularly beautiful first issue of Christmas Carol. “And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=